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'Smart specialisation' is a policy concept that promotes knowledge-based development, especially at regional level, through the identification of a limited number of funding priorities. The smart specialisation approach has been part of EU regional innovation policy since 2010 and yet the role of skills and vocational education and training in implementing smart specialisation strategies has only recently attracted attention. Despite being raised in earlier policy documents, it was the 2017 Communication on Strengthening Innovation in Europe's Regions, drawing on experience of implementing smart specialisation in practice, which illustrated its significance for regional innovation policy. In the proposals for Cohesion Policy post 2020, education and skills for innovation are important priorities. Therefore, this technical report is timely since it explores trends in vocational education and training (VET), looks at where it has contributed to smart specialisation in specific cases, and highlights elements to consider in regional strategies.

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This report was produced as a deliverable in the frame of the [European Nuclear Education Network] ENEN Plus project. It provides an overview of all twenty-five projects carried out under the Euratom Fission Training Schemes (EFTS) and their main achievements. Almost all projects are completed to date except for three. The EFTS's ultimate goal is to develop a European passport for Continuous Professional Development, which relies on the principles of modularity of courses and common qualification criteria, a common mutual recognition system, and the facilitation of teacher, student and worker mobility across the EU. The conclusions of this review will be published in a separate report.

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As [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] STEM workers work in the technologically most advanced and potentially most productive sectors of the labour market, meeting the future demand for STEM skills is considered high priority in the European Union. Knowing that a strong pathway dependency exists between STEM education and employment, in this report we examine STEM-related occupational expectations of adolescents to understand their ability and willingness to undertake STEM training and work. We systematically explore a range of potential influences on young people's career plans starting from the individual characteristics of adolescents and their families, accounting for various features of school environments as well as country characteristics and policy interventions at a national level. For the analyses, we use [OECD Programme for International Student Assessment] PISA data from 2006 and 2015 surveys for each of the European Member States which allow for identifying the changes as well as continuity in adolescent preferences during this 10-year period.

The past ten years have not brought about major changes in European students' career orientations towards the STEM. In 2015 on average 20 out of 100 of 15-years old students in Europe declared to pursue a science-related career in STEM occupations. However considerable differences across countries exist. Expectations of a STEM career plan are strongly divided by gender. On average in Europe, only 10 out of 100 females are interested in STEM careers while the number of boys expecting a similar career is almost triple. Again, between-country differences are remarkable. Students develop their career plans differently across the different educational systems in Europe. In most countries, students who are on a vocational track at the age of 15 are increasingly interested in choosing a STEM job. Our findings suggest also a positive association between compulsory national examination in math and students' plans to enter a STEM occupation. In terms of policy measures designed to mitigate the gender gap in the supply of young people available to train for employment in the STEM sector, the patterns presented in this report indicate an urgent need to develop more effective methods to encourage girls to consider STEM employment as a viable option for their own future.

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The analyses presented in this report indicate that in several Member States (MS) 15 year-old students in vocational-oriented programmes (VET) perform better in digital reading than in print reading in PISA 2012. When differentiated by programme of study - VET versus general education programmes - VET students perform better in digital than in print reading in Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal and the Slovak Republic. Moreover, VET students display specific patterns of ICT-related practices. For example, they have more access to computers at school than at home and their engagement in frequent browsing of the internet for school work is associated with higher digital reading achievement. Results suggest that schools should help VET students develop further digital skills to support their learning.

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We investigate shifts in employment structures during the first decades of the twenty-first century at a global scale, focusing on a diverse set of countries, including eight EU countries [Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Czech Republic and Romania], Canada, the US, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Russia, India, and South Korea. Using the jobs-based approach as the common underlying methodology enhances the comparability of results.

The findings highlight a lack of a singular prevailing pattern in employment changes, revealing a variety of shift patterns across countries and time periods. Nonetheless, occupational upgrading emerges as the most frequently observed pattern. A sectoral analysis underscores the pivotal role of private services as the primary driver of employment growth across most countries. A distinct contrast is evident between the dynamics of private and public services. Private services tend to foster job polarization, while public services lean towards job upgrading, with some notable exceptions. Examining the gender dimension over the past two and a half decades reveals a marked improvement in the status of female workers. In many instances, there has been a feminization of employment, and women have experienced more occupational upgrading than their male counterparts. While this represents a general trend, significant exceptions exist.

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This [Knowledge Centre on Migration and Demography] KCMD study uses data from the EU Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS) to analyse how intersecting social statuses shape labour market participation. The report focuses on the intersection between gender and migrant status and assesses the likelihood of EU mobile and non-EU born women to participate in the EU's labour market. Additionally, it considers how education, marital status and parenthood, highlighted by research as key determinants of labour market participation, interact with gender and migrant status. Overall, our report confirms that intersectionality is a fruitful analytical approach for improving the understanding of the different and complex mechanisms that may shape labour market participation of women. In particular, in light of the interrelated effects of gender and migrant status, the report points to the need for a comprehensive strategy for the integration of non-native women (both EU mobile and non-EU born) in the labour market.

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Today, more than 25 per cent of electricity power in the European Union (EU) is produced by the nuclear energy sector. This corresponds to more than 50 per cent of the EU's low carbon electricity. The EU's Energy Strategy Plan foresees that nuclear energy will remain an important factor of the EU's energy mix until 2050 - and even beyond. The EU promotes the highest safety standards for all types of civilian nuclear activity, including the Nuclear Energy Sector. Having sufficient skilled and trained Human Resources (HR) is an important component for ensuring safe operation nuclear power plants. The objective of the European Human Resources Observatory for the Nuclear Energy Sector (EHRO-N) is to develop strategic plans addressing potential human resource and skills gaps in the EU nuclear sector. Initial studies have already triggered several new education and training initiatives in the Member States and at EU level.

The report presents the results from two stakeholder surveys performed in 2018; one with the higher education institutions (HR supply side) and one from nuclear stakeholders (HR demand side). When possible the report makes comparisons with data from the previous EHRO-N surveys in 2010 and 2014. Finally, the report proposes a way forward for a more robust methodology to assess the nuclear workforce in the sector.

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This is the final report of MOOCs4inclusion project, which was designed and financed by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The report summarises the research conducted between July-December 2016 on the efficiency and efficacy of free digital learning (FDL) for the integration, inclusion and further learning of migrants and refugees in Europe and in neighbouring regions in conflict. Drawing from a literature review, focus groups with migrants/refugees (third country nationals in Europe) and interviews with representatives of selected FDL initiatives, the report assesses the success factors and limitations of FDL and draws conclusions about how FDL's efficiency and efficacy could be improved. The report also proposes a categorisation of FDL offers according to their design and purposes. Emphasis is placed on initiatives that take a 'blended' (online and face-to-face) and 'facilitated' (support services and mentoring) approach, as this was found to be optimal by both users of FDL and providers. General recommendations are provided about how the European Union and other interested actors can invest in this field, enhance synergies and design effective and efficient FDL offers for migrants/refugees in the future.

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The recent surge of digital labour platforms has led to new forms of work organisation and tasks distribution across the workforce. This has raised several questions about the functioning and the benefits deriving from the reorganisation of work that those platforms entail and the associated risks. A crucial issue in designing the policy response to the emergence of digital labour platforms is the lack of reliable evidence. In 2017, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) conducted the COLLaborative Economy and EMployment (COLLEEM) pilot survey, an initial attempt to provide quantitative evidence on platform work, responding to calls by the European Council and the European Parliament. The survey provides a basis for an initial estimation of platform work in 14 Member States.

Estimates indicate that on average 10 per cent of the adult population has ever used online platforms for the provision of some type of labour services. However, less than eight per cent do this kind of work with some frequency, and less than six per cent spend a significant amount of time on it (at least 10 hours per week) or earn a significant amount of income (at least 25 per cent of the total). Main platform workers are defined as those who earn 50 per cent or more of their income via platforms and/or work via platforms more than 20 hours a week. They account for about two per cent of the adult population on average. There are significant differences across countries: the UK has the highest incidence of platform work. Other countries with high relative values are Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Italy. By contrast, Finland, Sweden, France, Hungary and Slovakia show very low values compared to the rest. The typical European platform worker is a young male, educated to a degree level.

The findings presented in this report suggest an emerging phenomenon of increasing importance but still modest in size. If platform work remains significant but small in the future, a two-pronged policy response is likely to suffice, focusing on (i) fully grasping its job creation and innovation opportunities and (ii) adjusting existing labour market institutions and welfare systems to the new reality and mitigating its potentially negative consequences for working careers and working conditions.

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The green economic and clean energy transition are already underway worldwide and in Europe. This report provides an overview of recent employment trends at the global and EU-28 level related to the greening and decarbonisation of the economy, with a focus on the energy sector. It brings together and presents statistical data and the results of recent employment assessment reports. In addition, the report examines qualitative aspects, including education as well as skills requirements and changing talent profiles in the green transition. It addresses workforce characteristics, including gender and generational aspects. The report concludes by highlighting key figures and providing policy recommendations to overcome labour force related barriers as part of a just transition to a cleaner energy system.

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